Question: Describe a time when you failed to complete a task or project on time, despite intending to do so.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Follow-up questions:

What was the outcome?
What did you learn from that experience?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Mental Processes – Scheduling Work and Activities (Rostering)

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Job Structure – Handling Time Pressure

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Persistence/Perseverance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s organization and time management skills.
The candidate’s commitment to a task.

Red Flags to Watch For:

Answers that reveal poor organization and poor time management skills.
The candidate’s lack of commitment to a task.

Sample Answer:

Once there was this project I worked on. For reasons beyond my control, the weather exactly, we were a few days behind schedule but we were able to complete it.

Question Source: Unknown